As you are planning your holiday traditions this year, consider celebrating the winter solstice on December 21. Hold on, you may be thinking. The last thing I need is another event! In fact, in the midst of a hectic and often consumer-focused holiday season, honoring the solstice can be a relaxing and spiritual time for your family. As the longest night of the year, winter solstice represents a return of the light as the days begin to get longer and in many cultures is seen as a time of rebirth.

I spoke with some friends who create a special ritual every year for the solstice. The Perlingieri family shared with me how they mark this special evening and teach their children to notice and honor the seasonal changes of the Earth.

First they bring a live tree or bush into their home and lovingly decorate it with lights. After tending it well in the home, they later plant it. They also light candles in the room to represent the return to light. For their ritual, they have gathered rosemary, holly, bay leaves, ivy, apples, walnuts, and evergreen boughs. These are laid out under the tree during their solstice ritual.

The rosemary and bay leaves are bound together, one bundle for each member of the family. Rosemary is for remembrance; each person shares their favorite highlights of the year and then places the bundle under the tree. The bay leaves cleanse the unsettling events of the past year.

The energy of holly is masculine, with a fiery and protective force, while Ivy represents the feminine aspects of intuition and emotions. They honor these opposite but complimentary natures and recognize that while they can at times seem at odds, they are both equally important to the equilibrium of their family.

Then they each place an apple, symbolizing love, under the tree and either proclaim out loud or silently their love for one another. The walnuts are wishes for the coming year. These can be spoken aloud or held as silent intentions and placed under the tree.

The evergreen boughs are placed all around the tree as a symbol of resilience and immortality - impervious to the cold and darkness. As the season of night is ending, this heralds the return of the light!

To complete their ritual, they stand in a circle, hold hands and chant “ohm” at the moon, respecting its darkness, but inviting the sun to return again.

When I asked what they will do different this year, they shared that they look forward to keeping the fire burning all night in their new wood stove for their first Yule log. (The origins of the Yule log are connected with the custom of keeping a fire burning all night throughout the night linking the two shortest days of the year.)

Earth-centered celebrations to mark seasonal changes have been practiced by many cultures all over the world for many millennia. You can adapt this or another ritual to fit your own family’s philosophy and include prayers or blessings that reflect your religious practices. You can also make it as complex or as simple as you'd like it to be.

What does your family do for winter solstice, or what would you like to do? Share your ideas by leaving a comment!